Five Days Nowhere
by SirDeathShriek
Summary: For all his years as a tour guide in the craziest hellhole in the known galaxy, gentleman weapons dealer Marcus Kincaid was at a loss. Four teenage girls stood at his bus stop. They'd called ahead for transport to Fyrestone, a place that only rookie treasure hunters headed for.


SEVEN DAYS NOWHERE

-RWBY-

Prologue

In most directions along their route: dead wasteland. The surface was littered with giant rock formations, twisting into arching pathways sometimes and sometimes stretching in one direction, ready to leap over the horizon. Not a single tree in sight, not from the bus stop or at any leg of the ride.

Dirt, sand, pebble, or stone, everything looked thirsty, like rainfall came once in a blue moon. Farther away, mountains and cliffs sat below an eager yellow sun. Just as the land was dry, the air was hot, and a single fan blew from the front of the bus with enough force that even those in back got their relief.

Keeping one's eyes peeled, faint, loping forms skittered along the edges, rocky creaks, and sandy dips in the distance. The bus traveled onward, paying them no mind. Not until one of these mysterious forms leapt in front of the bus and splattered along the bottom of the windshield.

Red, purple, and black crossed in a hideous spray of guts.

The girl wearing the red and black dress squeaked, while the girl in white, holding what looked like a sword of all things, and the woman in yellow glanced over to the front of the bus. The bus driver kept his vision on the road and turned on the windshield wipers. After a few swishes, the blood of whatever creature that landed on the bus was mostly gone.

So once again, Marcus and the three teenage girls in the bright-colored dresses, and the woman with the really big titties, went into a sweaty silence. Well, not really, for as Marcus stole a glance at his rearview mirror, he saw the girl in the red dress making hand gestures and the woman in yellow nodding now and again. Rays of sunlight poked through the shutters of every window on the bus.

"So," Marcus interrupted, "...you four ladies are after some sort of treasure huh? There are some great opportunities on this dirt rock the locals call home, if, you know where to look."

"We're not together," said the girl in the white dress, the girl with the fancy sword. If more hunters started showing up with fancy swords, Marcus knew he'd be out of business. Swords didn't need bullets, most of the time, and his business was in guns and gun mods. Hmm. Maybe he should take a look into customizing bladed weapons? Maybe a sword that fired bullets, or a gun that fired machetes? What about a gun that fired explosive cartridges that upon detonation scattered hundreds of blades in every direction?

Marcus smelled profit.

"Yeah sorry," said the girl wearing the red cloak and skirt. She looked to be the youngest and her voice sounded like a sucker in the making. "We just showed up at the bus stop at the same time."

"You with the sword and the poofy dress-"

"It's a combat skirt," the girl fired back.

"Yes, well, what are you doing on Pandora with that little pigsticker you keep under your, er, skirt? Surely you're gonna pick up a bigger piece for those creatures that like to gang up on pretty little girls out in the wastes?"

"I beg your pardon. The Schnee Family holds the title of champion in several interplanetary combat tournaments. I highly doubt-"

"And you, ba-ba-black sheep, in the back." Marcus's eyes roamed over to the girl in the black outfit who was sitting at the back of the bus, two seats behind the sword-wielding girl, who was obviously offended at being interrupted. The girl with the black bow looked up, amber eyes steering in his direction. "Seems like you prefer that nasty close combat stuff too._ I see_ that sheath on your back. I hope you're quick on your feet if you plan on gutting a Skag with that cleaver of yours. Skag tastes bad no matter how you cook it in case you were wondering."

Her amber eyes blinked, and then she returned to staring out one of the right side windows like some kind of antisocial weirdo.

Marcus was most curious about "Little Red", the pale-skinned girl that got on the bus first and sat in the aisle across from that white-dressed girl, who now had her arms crossed in an impatient manner. "You, little red riding hood."

"Me?" she asked, pointing at herself innocently.

He nodded. "Yes you. You're the strangest one of the bunch, but your heart isn't steeled for this kind of place, I can tell. You should go back home on the ship that brought you here. You don't want to know the kinds of things bad men around these parts like to do to little girls like you. No amount of protection, Kincaid, Hyperion, or otherwise would be enough if Sledge or one of his psychotic henchmen caught you."

She was, of course, offended like the other girl, but not as much. "Hey," she piped up, placing her hands on her hips. "I'm not nearly as helpless as you think. There's not enough room in here to show you, but I've got a weapon on my back that would send any sane person running."

Marcus started to say something when the blonde woman in the biker shorts stood up with her. "Yeah, and who do you think you are talking down to my little sister?"

"Sister?" he asked.

"That's right," they said together.

"_Sisters_," he moaned. "My god. I hope Flynt does the noble thing and gives you both quick deaths. Moreso, I hope I don't find your corpses strung up naked in some ditch near Fyrestone like the last two." Neither of the two sisters looked amused. "And now for the busty blonde woman bext to you. You, the one with the jugs, let's get a look at you..."

The woman beamed at him. "What did you say?"

"So your sister has some kind of gun on her back, and princess has her toothpick." The girl in white huffed, not taking the bait. "I don't see anything in that treasure chest of y-"

He saw the black material of her shorts, the bright yellow, maybe even gold, bracelets on both of her wrists, and the orange scarf for just a moment before the pain started. The bus swerved as he gripped the steering wheel. Apparently, the woman had fast hands.

"I'm sorry mister, can you try and address me again more _respectfully_?" On that last word, the hand clutching Marcus's privates tightened.

"I'm sorry!" Marcus yelled just as he got his foot off the gas pedal. The bus jerked to a stop and the other three girls bounced in their seats, but the blonde only stumbled and maintained her grip. Such determination only caused Marcus even more pain. "I'm sorry, m-miss... miss?"

"Yang," she replied. She let go of his junk and smiled.

"Miss Yang, my apologies," Marcus wheezed.

"Thank you," she said before she moseyed back to her sister. They high-fived, sat back down, and Marcus had to catch his breath before stepping on the gas pedal again. The distant edge of Fyrestone Depo never looked so pleasing.

The bus traveled for a minute before he continued. "Yang, you said? Okay, listen. I'm an honest weapons seller, descended from seven generations of merchants. I know what it's like out there, contrary to what my lavish bus might imply. Here's my advice for all of you: it's tough out there. You won't be able to beat up whatever you please without at least four decent weapons and bullets for each."

"Sure, you can take from the bandits or find things in the wild, but purchases from my store are guaranteed. And if you die, you can't get your money back, because you're dead! Ha, I kid. No need to be serious here. And... if you're looking for the Vault... you're going to have your work cut out for you. Personally, I don't think it's wise for young maidens to waste their lives away searching for that washed-up myth. 'Entire generations of families have perished on this rock looking for the Vault, and..." Marcus stopped to peek at the mirror.

The four girls stared absently in their own directions. Yang was standing, holding a ceiling rail, her chest jiggling with every bump in the road. Ruby sat with her chin laid on her hands, eyes widened, while the Schnee girl still had her arms crossed but with same wide-eyed expression. Even the mute with the purple stockings was facing forward, mouth slightly open in surprised expression.

Then all at once, the four girls blinked. Little Red and her sister blinked hard, while the girl in white rubbed her eyes. "What were you saying bus driver?"

"Er... it was nothing. Just saying that once you get into Fyrestone, the four of you should stop in and see Doctor Zed."

Marcus shook his head. These stupid treasure hunters got weirder and weirder with every pick-up.

"Zed?" asked Little Red. "Who's that?"

"Zed? Why he's an old friend of mine. Went into medicine after he left the armed forces. He's the local doctor, and probably the only doctor in this part of Pandora. If you get into a tough scrape out there, tell him Marcus Kincaid sent you and he'll patch you right up. Just make sure he knows you only want to be patched up and don't let him inject you with _anything_."

They were there, Fyrestone Depot.

He caught the girl in white as her face turned into what had to be her most disgusted frown. "Like I'm going to let any shady doctor on a backwater planet like this stick me with anything."

The bus slowed to a stop and Marcus quickly opened the doors. Oh how he wanted these four weirdos off of his bus. No one could say he didn't have a conscience. He was dropping them off in one of the safest locations on Pandora. So what if most of them were teenagers? He'd killed his first Rakk when he was seven years old.

-RWBY-

Class Menu:

Ruby: Skilled, speedy Scythe wielder. Preferred weapon: Crescent Rose.  
Action Skill: Sniper Rifle Mode

Weiss: Fencing moves combined with Dust. Preferred weapons: Anything elegant.  
Action Skill: Glyphs

Blake: Agile and effective at any range. Preferred weapons: Ones that don't slow her down.  
Action Skill: Teleport

Yang: Super-hand-to-hand combat. Preferred weapons: Ember Celica.  
Action Skill: Aura Burst


End file.
